Biomedical subjects

P E McDonald

Publications and source records attributed to P E McDonald.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Nurses' perceptions: issues that arise in caring for patients with diabetes.

Nurses' perceptions in caring for persons with diabetes have been little studied. To address this gap in the literature, a sample of nurses from a large Mid-western health care system were surveyed on nurses' perceptions of: (i) problems encountered in the care of patients with diabetes; (ii) problems encountered by patients and/or family member(s) in diabetes management; and (iii) nurses' suggested solutions. A randomly selected list of 200 registered nurses obtained from the health system's Department of Human Resources included inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, medical centre and home health care nurses. The sample was stratified to include 25% inpatient and 75% outpatient nurses. Of the 200 surveys mailed, 136 were returned (68% response rate). Twenty-four per cent of the 136 nurses reported they did not provide care for patients with diabetes. Of 103 nurses providing care to patients with diabetes, 98% were female, 91% were Caucasian, 76% were between the ages of 30 and 49 years, 57% worked in outpatient settings, 35% worked in primary care, and 42% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Of those with practice guidelines, 84% found the practice guidelines helpful. These nurses also perceived that they, as nurses, needed more education to improve their care of diabetes patients; few nurses believed it was within the scope of their practice to change treatment regimens. The perception of most nurse respondents was that acceptance of diabetes, knowledge deficits and non-compliance were primary patient problems in the management of diabetes. Nurses' perceptions of solutions to the problems centred on education of nurses and patients, and reinforcement of the importance of follow-up care.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Self-reported health-promoting behaviors of black and white caregivers.

The purpose of this study was to describe the behaviors that caregivers report carrying out to maintain their own health, and to compare the health-promoting behaviors of Black and White caregivers. Although many studies have examined health-promoting behaviors, few have examined health promotion among caregivers. Reported studies of caregivers' health-promoting behaviors have not compared cultural groups. The sample for this study was selected by random digit dialing, and included 136 Black and 257 White caregivers of frail elders. Content analysis of respondents' answers to the open-ended question, "In general, what do you do to stay healthy?" was used to address the research questions. Most caregivers reported specific behaviors they engaged in for the purpose of staying healthy. Although most of their behaviors addressed physical health, caregivers also mentioned behaviors that contribute to mental and spiritual health. Both differences and similarities were found in Black and White caregivers' self-reported health behaviors, which have important implications for nursing practice and research in the future.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Social support among African-American adults with diabetes. Part 1: Theoretical framework.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Social support among African-American adults with diabetes, Part 2: A review.

Diabetes mellitus affects African Americans in disproportionate numbers relative to whites. Proper management of this disease is critical because of the increased morbidity and mortality associated with poor diabetes management. The role of social support in promoting diabetes management and improved glycemic control among African Americans is a little-explored area. This review, the second in a two-part series, examines the relationship between social support and glycemic control among African-American adults with diabetes. The main findings of the study are that African Americans tend to rely more heavily than whites on their informal social networks to meet their disease management needs and that social support is significantly associated with improved diabetes management among members of this population. However, there remains a critical need to systematically include substantial numbers of African-American respondents in studies examining the relationship between social support and glycemic control. Only then can the effects of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other variables on this relationship in African Americans become clear and interventions incorporating relevant aspects of social support be developed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A risk/falls program.

Patient falls are a commonplace and costly occurrence in health care settings. Approximately two years ago, the professional nursing staff on an acute care, 28-bed division in Hanna Pavilion began developing a program to address the issue of patients at risk for falling. The need for such a program evolved as the elderly patient population increased in number. The acute psychiatric service showed an increase in patients over 65 years old, from 13 percent in 1983 to 19.8 percent in 1984. An increased number of falls was documented on the division as the numbers of elderly became larger. During 1984, patient falls constituted 42.8 percent of al reported incidents on this division. The critical concerns related to patient falls were, and still are, the potential for injury leading to chronic disability, prolonged hospital stay, need for extended care, and ultimately the catastrophic effects on the quality of life for the population.

Accident Prevention↗